First hunting trip

[banishd]

My 14 year old niece flew up this week from Vegas to have her first real thanksgiving with us. My wife was taking the rest of the week off so that freed me up from kid duty to hit the late season archery opener. My niece said she wanted to go with me but weather was looking to be a bit nasty so I tried to talk her out of it. That seemed to really make her want to go so she could prove she was tough enough. Love that about her. So got her decked out in some of my camo and I packed up way more stuff to stay warm then I would ever bring. We spent the early drive up the mountain talking about how difficult hunting for the grey ghosts can be. I told her I would be happy just seeing some sign. This would be my first archery hunt for blacktail so had no expectations. We hiked up an old sidehill road through steep dark timber for 10 minutes, then walked back to the car to get my release I forgot to put on. Off to a great start so far. So hike back up the road about 500 yards to where the timber and terrain started changing. I range a tree on the road 36yds away and let her know thats about as far as I will be shooting. Then the rangefinder battery dies. We set up there and I try to rattle in a buck for the first time.  A minute or two of some light rattling, stomping, kicking rocks and breaking sticks then I grab my bow and look down the road. Here comes a deer! Its a buck! I turn around and quietly tell her a deer is coming in and she is turned away with her face covered, trying hard to hold back a sneeze. I draw my bow back but this buck is head down on a beeline right at us. He runs right in to about 8 feet away, slams on the brakes and stares at us. He turns, sensing something is wrong, and gives me a clear shot. I let it fly, he walks back a few steps trying to figure out what happened. I start to nock another arrow and my movement busts him, but it was too late. He tips over, stands back up, then falls down into the timber off the road! I was in shock with how fast that happened. My niece thought he saw her move and just tripped trying to get away. I tell her, nope, I shot him and he is dead! Was shot right through the heart, clean pass through from 3 yards. Got down to him about 20 feet below the road, gutted him out and drug him downhill about 175 yards to the road. We got back home before my kids had made it home from a half day at school.

The best part of this was getting to have the niece experience this for the first time with me. Oh, and that her mother is a vegan!

[Sandberm]

Geez, way to go!

I can just hear her back at school next Monday..."Pfft, deer hunting's easy, you just go to the woods, make a bunch of noise and they run right to you". 

[Timberstalker]

Awesome!
I’d put that deers liver in her Moms luggage. Frozen of course, so it doesn’t spoil.

[WapitiTalk1]

Outstanding!  Really, really loved your write up sir.  "then walked back to the car to get my release I forgot to put on; then the rangefinder battery dies".... just classic  .  Congrats on your first archery BT; a very nice buck at that!   

[Bucks2Ducks]

Wow, wish it was always that easy. Dandy buck too!

[blackveltbowhunter]

That's a great hunt. Goes to show why it always pays to go.  nice buck!

[huntnfmly]

Very cool congrats on sharing that with your niece

[banishd]

Geez, way to go!

I can just hear her back at school next Monday..."Pfft, deer hunting's easy, you just go to the woods, make a bunch of noise and they run right to you". 

Yeah, it sure seemed too easy. I spent a lot of time hunting this year. I backpacked in for archery elk and spent the whole season in the backcountry, then opening weekend for archery deer, then 16 days in Idaho for elk. That was one of the first things she mentioned, how I spent all this time away and could have just headed an hour away from home. I told her not to mention that to my wife.

[DeerThug]

Thats Awesome!

[fishnfur]

....that, and never tell the wife you passed on a deer.  They often don't understand and start to question your use of family time.

Great story - had a good laugh.  I hope you got some tenderloin in your niece before she left.   What a perfect opportunity to put that vegan stuff to rest.  Congrats again on the great buck.

[Fl0und3rz]

Nice!  And great story.

[bobcat]

That worked out well. At that distance you didn't need the rangefinder anyway!

[pianoman9701]

Nice kill. It's great that a younger kid gets to experience a clean bowkill first hand. Hopefully, she'll enjoy some meat, too.

[tgomez]

Congratulations on a nice buck and got to do it with the young one. LOL, the part I love the most is,  "Her mother is a vegan." LOL

[Deerdad44]

What a great experience! One that neither of you will ever forget. Congrats man, great buck!